Enviro Essay Archive

While we believe that actions usually speak louder than words, we also value the power of story telling and the clarity and intimacy that good environmental writing can bring to our community. Our environmental feature stories are such testaments, reflections, rants and raves. Colleagues, activists and friends are here, lending their voices to our stubborn and ongoing work for wilderness preservation.

Our Common WatersOur Common Waters focused on the freshwater crisis facing the earth. The more water we use and waste, the harder it is for freshwater animals and plants to survive.

Freedom to RoamFreedom to Roam, a long-term initiative, is dedicated to establishing migration wildways for animals between protected areas. Patagonia’s partners in Freedom to Roam include other companies, conservation organizations and recreation groups.

Arctic National Wildlife RefugePatagonia’s Fall 2007 environmental campaign was focused on protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Our goal was, and still is, to help permanently protect the 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain of the Refuge by designating it as Wilderness. Learn more

Creating the Future Patagonia National ParkConservacion Patagonica, a non-profit organization dedicated to protection of wildland ecosystems and biodiversity in the Patagonia region of Chile and Argentina, is working towards the goal of creating Patagonia National Park, a world-class park similar in size to Yosemite National Park in California. Learn more

Oceans as WildernessThe goal of our 2006-2007 Oceans as Wilderness campaign was to help us see what lives under the Earth's seas: how the vast schools of tuna are like those herds of buffalo; how bottom trawling is like clear-cutting an entire forest to get at a single tree. As we teach ourselves how close the connection is between the vitality of human life and the marine environment, we can all become better stewards of the ocean in our daily lives. Learn more

Getting Our House in OrderWhen played out on an industrial scale, environmental impacts are severe. At Patagonia, in an effort to lead an examined life, we've researched nearly all aspects of manufacturing Patagonia clothing and the environmental footprints of our offices and shipping center. We call it Getting Our House in Order or GOHO. Here you'll find examples of what we've done in this arena and our ongoing efforts.

The Footprint Chronicles®Check out our newly revamped Footprint Chronicles®. Its goal is to use transparency about our supply chain to help reduce the adverse social and environmental impacts of our products..

Getting Your House in OrderIn the course of a day, every one of us does something that adversely affects the health of the planet. We don't decide to, we just don't give it a thought. Here are a collection of essays that speak to what individuals have done to correct bad habits and start new good ones.

Politics, Reality, ChangeAt various times, we address politics directly (usually in an important election year). It's part of our Vote the Environment campaign. Here you'll find a number of essays from different political points of view that all hold a single cause sacred: the health of the planet.

Wild SalmonWild Salmon are a keystone species crossing both land and water through their migrations. Salmon's role as an indicator of overall ecological health, reflects a complex web of relationships between fish and people. Our campaign places salmon in the larger context of what's happening to our natural landscapes. Read the essays below to learn more about the effects of industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, deforestation, dams and other environmental threats to the survival of wild salmon.

Big, Wild and ConnectedBiologists have now broadened the scope of the conservation movement, identifying that corridors linking protected areas, as well as large tracts of wild space are essential for maintaining species diversity and healthy populations. Read the following stories and check out the archive, below, for updates on work our colleagues are doing to to keep wilderness Big, Wild and Connected.

Genetic EngineeringIn 2001, we began a campaign to explore and confront the dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). by manipulating life forms and using the natural world as a petri dish, some scientists and the agricultural industry are threatening global biological diversity. Read the following stories for more information on the problems with genetic engineering (GE), reactions from our peers and direction for speaking up.